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Visit New York, The Finger Lakes, Niagara Falls, Lake Erie, Cleveland, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lake Michigan & Chicago.
Explore two of the world’s greatest cities and all that lies between them. The iconic cities of New York and Chicago bookend this varied 1100-mile road trip, and between, you’ll find three areas of outstanding natural beauty, two major mid-west cities with unique attractions, and a few gorgeous small towns, too.
Key road trip highlights:
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We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll experience a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our American road trips can be tailored to meet your requirements. Do you have more or less than 14 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
Considering starting on the Upper West Side; this neighbourhood of Manhattan has a residential feel combined with great shopping and foodie enclaves like the famous Zabar’s Deli. The American Museum of Natural History can also be found here and is an absolute must-see for all ages.
Central Park is the most visited urban park in the US. You can easily spend the day here with 843 acres of walking trails, ice rinks, cycle paths, a Zoo, and even a castle. Bordering the eastern length of Central Park is 5th Avenue, home to some of the world’s most renowned museums, such as The Met and The Guggenheim. Upscale Madison and Park Avenue are found further east, which is great for watching wealthy New Yorkers dip in and out of luxury designer stores.
Downtown stretches to Battery Park at Manhattan’s southern tip, where ferries leave to the legendary Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Financial District is anchored by Wall St, home to the New York Stock Exchange and the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Surrounding neighbourhoods offer a great contrast to this commercial hub – Soho, Greenwich, Tribeca and the Meatpacking District are crammed with cool bars, shops and restaurants.
Midtown’s highlights include 5th Avenue shopping, Grand Central Station, the New York Public Library, Bryant Park, Times Square, Broadway and the Rockefeller Centre – make sure you leave time to visit either the Top of The Rock or The Empire State Building as the sunsets, to witness the city’s lights come alive on your final evening in the Big Apple.
Bid farewell to the Big Apple, collect your rental car from Newark Airport and venture into the beautiful nature of New York State. The Finger Lakes Region, which inspired the classic movie ‘It’s a Wonderful Life, ‘ is where you’ll walk through stunning State Parks and delightful small towns at your pleasure.
Niagara Falls is made up of three massive, separate waterfalls. The largest is on the Canadian side of the border and is named Horseshoe Falls, whilst Bridal Veil and American Falls are on the US side. Such is the power of the water that passes over the falls, Niagara has moved 7 miles upriver since it was first formed.
Spend a second day exploring Niagara Falls’ must-see attractions. One must-do is to take to the water and experience the power of the falls close up. Hornblower Niagara Cruises operates boats from the Canadian side of the border. Your detailed Road Trip Pack will detail the numerous visitor attractions found on both sides of the border.
Continue west along the shoreline of Lake Erie to Cleveland, where you can spend the afternoon visiting some of the city’s must-see places, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland Museum of Art. Comic Book fans might want to see the birthplace of Superman, whilst food lovers should head over to West Side Market, which has been serving the community here with tasty treats for 100 years.
Leave Cleveland and cruise around the western corner of Lake Erie on your way to the home of Motown – Detroit. Along the way, thrill seekers will want to stop and spend the day at Cedar Point Amusement Park. Afterall, Cedar Point (pictured) is home to more than 70 rides, some of which need to be seen to be believed.
Detroit is experiencing an exciting renaissance of late, and it’s home to two of America’s very best museums. No self-respecting music fan should miss the magnificent Motown Museum, whilst The Henry Ford Museum is also very impressive. It includes uniquely historic exhibits like the car in which JFK was assassinated and the chair where Abraham Lincoln lost his life.
Leave Detroit and head west to the beautiful beaches and small towns that line Lake Michigan’s eastern coastline. Along the way, you can stop for lunch and a quick stroll in charming Ann Arbor or pretty Holland, with it’s Dutch heritage.
Spend the day visiting numerous beautiful beaches as you cruise around the southern tip of Lake Michigan on your way to mighty Chicago. Michigan’s highlights include Oval Beach, Silver Lake State Park and Warren Dunes State Park. Whilst neighbouring Indiania offers up a national park in the form of Indiana Dunes National Park. After watching the sunset over Lake Michigan, you’ll drive to Chicago and drop off your car; you won’t need it to explore The Windy City.
Chicago is best explored by trolley, bus, boat or bike. Most visitors head to ‘Magnificent Mile’, a vibrant, bustling area home to upscale shops, trendy restaurants and luxury hotels. Landmarks include the historic Chicago Water Tower, the neo-Gothic Tribune Tower, and the 100-story John Hancock Center with a rooftop observation deck. Exceptionally cold in winter, the city and its beaches come alive in the spring, summer and fall.
Your detailed Road Trip Pack will show you all of Chicago’s must-see places, including Cloud Gate, Navy Pier, and the lovely Lake Michigan shoreline. Before leaving town, make sure you spend at least one evening partying at Buddy Guy’s Legends blues club.
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You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
Please use the form below to request a quote from our team. Fields marked with an * are mandatory. Please note that we currently only serve customers based in the UK & The EU.
Not quite what you’re looking for? Get in touch to discuss your Bespoke Road Trip plans, or check out these similar road trip itineraries…
ARTCo customers can be confident that we only work with the very best service providers, such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and Alamo. Any payments made to us are fully protected via the government’s ATOL scheme (Flight packages) or Financial Failure Insurance (Non-Flight Packages).
